A guide for Parents / Guardians

Recent research conducted by Jigsaw published in the Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine (2015) found that:

Young men are more likely to experience thoughts of hurting themselves, low self-esteem and feelings of sadness or loss. They also experience anger and family problems.

Young women are more likely to experience anxiety and thoughts of hurting themselves, and experience isolation issues.

Here we give a simple guide of symptoms for three issues that parents can look out for in young people:

Depression

Self-harm

Drugs

Depression

Symptoms can include a number of the following:

continuous low/sad mood, dramatic change in personality.

being angry, irritable and intolerant of others

changes in appetite/sleep patterns

lack of energy, loss of motivation and loss of interest in hobbies, sports etc.

losing interest in studies, missing school days

not socialising, staying in room, withdrawing from family members

signs of the person feeling worthless/low self esteem

frequent tearfulness

Self Harm

Self harm is not looking for attention as some people may think as it is usually carried out in secret and can be difficult to detect. Psychologists say that self-harm helps people to control their emotional pain. Symptoms may include the following:

unexplained cuts, bruises or cigarette burns, usually on their arms, wrists, chest and sometimes on the legs

unexplained bloodstains on clothes etc

sharp objects such as blades, knives, needles, glass, on the personâ€™s belongings.

keeping themselves covered at all times (particularly the arms)

signs of low self-esteem

signs of hair pulling/loss

loss of interest in personal hygiene/appearance

mixing with a new circle of friends

alone for long periods of time in bathroom/bedroom

Drug-use

Some of these symptoms are common in depression also.

changes in appetite/sleep patterns

not looking after their physical appearance

looking for more spending money or unexplained use of money

not socialising, change of friends/location

losing interest in hobbies/sports etc

neglecting responsibilities

change in how they interact with family/people etc

the discovery of objects such as small medicine bottles, rolling paper, pipes, scorched tin-foil, razor blades, syringes etc. in their bedroom

periods of unusual hyperactivity or agitation

appears fearful, withdrawn, anxious or paranoid for no apparent reason.